Belt System

ABSTRACT

A belt system worn by an individual includes a belt having an inner side, an outer side, a first end and a second end, and a belt panel having a first end and a second end. The first end of the belt panel is connected to the outer side of the belt between the first end of the belt and the second end of the belt. The second end of the belt panel has a closure for detachably connecting the second end of the belt panel to the belt between the first end of the belt panel and the first end of the belt.

PRIOR APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/105,348, filed on Jan. 20, 2015, and the benefitof U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/115,637, filed on Feb. 13,2015. The disclosures of the noted provisional patent applications areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present application generally relates to a belt system with a belthaving an outer panel to hang holsters, equipment, and pouches.

BACKGROUND

For individuals using belts to hang equipment, holsters, and pouches,one of the current problems is that when the belt is unbuckled, theweight of the equipment being hung, can pull the belt free of belt loopsand allow the equipment to slide off, particularly on the open end ofthe belt without a buckle. This would result in damage to that fallenequipment, pouches, and holster. The other problem is that one of themost common ways holsters, pouches, and equipment are attached to beltsare closed loops on the back of the equipment that forces the user toslide the equipment onto the belt, they cannot be clipped or hung.

Another problem is that to slide the equipment on and off, the user mustunbuckle the belt. This forces the user to hold up his pants which canbe heavy with existing equipment on the belt or items in their pants,and at the same time slide on and off additional equipment. It alsorequires the user to pull the belt out of the belt loops of their pantsto slide on and off equipment, and then run the remainder of the beltback through the belt loops, before the belt can be re-buckled, thisincreases the amount of time this process takes which can be problematicin emergency situations and inconvenient on a day-to-day basis if theuser has to frequently go into and out of areas where certain equipment,firearms, etc. are not allowed.

Undercover agents or law enforcement officers in plain-clothes dressneed to be able to conceal their equipment. One common restrainingdevice to replace handcuffs are zip ties. But there is a need to concealthese devices on a person due to their dimension and rigidity.

There is also a need in the law enforcement to conceal devices to getout of restraints. A small razor blade or knife can be used to get outof improvised restraining devices such as zip-ties, rope, etc.Therefore, there is a need for a small concealed cavity to hold thesedevices safely

A common problem with belts is that they come in many different widths,for example 1.5″, 1.75″, 2″, and 3″ are very common belt widths. Tocompound the problem, holsters and gear use an attachment mechanismcalled a closed loop. The mechanism is simply a closed loop of plastic,metal, or fabric that the belt feeds through. This closed loop mechanismis more secure because there is no chance that the holster or gear canbe pulled off intentionally or accidentally. The problem with closedloops is that, like belts, come in a variety of fixed dimensions, forexample 1.5″, 1.75″, 2″, and 3″. The problem is that many times, thebelt width and the closed loop width don't match up. This differenceadds slack and that allows a lot of up and down movement which makesaccessing equipment difficult and becomes uncomfortable when wearingsomething for a long period of time. There has been effort to makeclosed loop attachment mechanisms adjustable to reduce that slack andminimize that movement (see U.S. Ser. No. 09/352,452), but nothing forthe belt to make that adjustment.

Another factor that adds movement and makes the task of drawingequipment out of a holster or accessory holder more difficult are pantbelt loops. Pant belt loops can vary in size depending on pantmanufacture. Pant belt loops are another form of closed loops and asreferenced above can create similar problems when waring gear.

Hunters, professional shooters, law enforcement officers, and workersare required to carry a lot of additional equipment in pursuit of workand sport. But much of this equipment needs to be switched out or onlynecessary for a specific task or short period of time. The currentlimitations of existing equipment and designs make it difficult tochange items on and off or necessitates the wearer to have an all ornothing approach which places unnecessary physical burden and cost onthe users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts top schematic view of a belt system according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 2 and 3 depict perspective views of the belt system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts an angle panel for a belt according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of the belt system of FIG. 1 beingworn.

FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of a belt system according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 6 depicts a top schematic view of the belt system of FIG. 5.

FIGS. 7 and 8 depict a slack panel for a belt system according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 9-11 depict attachment mechanisms for use with a belt system.

FIGS. 12-14 depicts several embodiments of slack panels for a beltsystem.

FIGS. 15-18 depict a belt mount for a belt system according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 19-22 depict a belt mount for a belt system according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 23-26 depict a duty or load panel for use with a belt systemaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 27 depicts hardware for sliding the duty or load panel of FIGS.23-26 onto a panel of a belt system according to one embodiment.

FIG. 28 depicts a belt mount for sliding the duty or load panel of FIGS.23-26 onto a panel of a belt system according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 29-31 depict a belt mount for a belt system according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 32-34 depict a load bearing panel of a belt system according toone embodiment.

FIGS. 34-41 depict several embodiments of load panels of a belt systemand the use thereof.

FIGS. 42-44 depict several embodiments of equipment support panels of abelt system.

FIGS. 45 and 46 depict a pocket of a razor blade of a belt systemaccording to one embodiment.

For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figuresillustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions anddetails of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoidunnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure. Additionally, elementsin the drawing figures may not be depicted to scale. For example, thedimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggeratedrelative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodimentsof the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-4 show a belt system according to one example. The belt systemof FIGS. 1-4 includes a belt 100. The belt 100 can be made of anymaterial (e.g. nylon, webbing, leather, etc.) and can use any type ofclosure mechanism (e.g. Velcro®, buckles, etc.). In FIGS. 1 and 3, thebelt 100 is shown with a Velcro® closure 101. In FIGS. 2 and 4, the belt100 is shown with a hardware closure 102 (e.g., buckles, cam locks,locking clips, rivets with screw and post combination, etc.). The belt100 includes at least one panel 103, configured for use with equipmentas described in detail herein that is fixed at a connection point 104 onthe belt 100. The panel 103 can also pivot if needed through variousmethods (i.e. sewn in if fabric, riveted, screw and post combination,etc.) at connection point 104. The opposite end of the panel 103 mayhave a closure on the other end. The closure may be constructed fromVelcro® 105 as shown in FIG. 1, closure hardware 106 (e.g. buckles,snap, etc.) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, and/or other types of closurehardware shown as screw and post combination 109 in FIG. 3. The closureof the panel 103 prevents any of the attached equipment from sliding offthe panel 103. The closure mechanism used for the panel 103 can alsoallow the panel 103 to be tightened against the belt 100. Accordingly,the panel 103 may be a load bearing panel in addition to the loadbearing capacity of the belt 100. According to one example, the lengthof the panel 103 may be ¼ of the length of the belt 100. According toanother example, the length of the panel 103 may be ½ the length of thebelt 100. The length of the panel 103 may be any length relative to thelength of the belt 100.

The panel 103 in combination with the belt 100 and closure mechanisms105, 106, 109 and 110 creates a closed loop around at least one pantbelt loop when worn, as shown in FIGS. 1-4. Accordingly, the belt 100remains closed on the wearer's pants even when the belt closure 101 inFIGS. 1 and 3, or belt closure 102 in FIGS. 2 and 4, is open. By havingthe closure systems on the belt 100 and the panel 103, a wearer can addand remove equipment from either the panel 103 or belt 100 while keepingthe belt attached to the body. In particular, the noted redundancy inthe belt 100 and panel 103 allow the belt to bear any load and providefor adding and removal of equipment while performing the function ofholding up a wearer's pants.

The panel 103 can be made of the same material of the belt 100 or adifferent material depending on the intended use and load bearingcapacity of the belt 100 and panel 103. Friction material 107 may beadded, through various methods such as sewn, glued, etc. to the innersurface of the panel 103 (shown in FIG. 1) and the outer surface of thebelt 100 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) at least on the location on the belt100 that may be under panel 103, to add friction to keep any attachedequipment in place. The material 107 can be made of any material thatadds friction. For panel 103 in FIG. 3, the attachment point 104 canpivot at one end and on the other end attachment point 109 can beattached to points 110 on angle panel 111, on belt. Angle panel 111 canbe the same fabric as the belt 100 and/or panel 103. It can be a part ofthe overall shape of belt 100 using material such as Hapylon® or leatherwhich can be cold or laser cut to the desired shape, or it can be madeas a separate panel that can be permanently attached (e.g. sewn in,rivets, etc.), sew lines are indicated by the dotted line 113 as shownin the embodiment in FIG. 3, or detachable using hardware such as postand screws, snaps, etc. If permanently attached, panel 111 would besemi-rigid or have an area that can fold, at least once along adirection parallel to the length of belt 100, so that angle panel 111can pass through pant belt loops, as indicated by the dotted line 112 inFIGS. 3 and 4. The panel 111 can be any dimension as long as it allowspanel 103 to be attached and detached at a higher or lower positionrelative to the belt 100 and attachment point 104. Attaching the panel103 lower on panel 111 would change the angle of any gear attached topanel 103, to allow easier access to item around the user's waist,especially a decreased angle relative to the front of the belt 100, asseen in FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 shows the belt 100 on a pair of pants 108, and the panel 103going over the belt loops of the pants 108 for illustration. The belt100 can be buckled around the waist by overlapping Velcro® 101 (shown inFIGS. 1 and 3) or hardware closure 102 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 4). Thebelt includes at least one outer panel 103 of any dimension and shapethat is most compatible for its intended use or equipment. The panel 103may be permanently connected at a connection point 104 to the belt 100at some point along the belt's length. The connection point 104 may be arotationally fixed or a pivoting connection point. The fixed connectionprovides the outer panel to be load bearing for carrying equipment onthe belt 100 as described in detail herein. The outer panel 103 overlapsone or several of the belt loops of pants 108 when the belt 100 is usedwith the pants 108 as seen in FIG. 4.

The panel 103 is fixed to the belt 100 at two ends without anyattachment points between the two ends. Accordingly, any equipmentmounted on or between the panel 103 and/or the belt 100 can slide alongthe panel 103 while being supported by the panel 103 and/or the belt100.

According to the belt system discussed herein, the panel 103 allows auser to slide gear that is supported by the belt 100 and/or panel 103 onand off while the belt is worn and supporting the pants of the wearer.In other words, the belt system performs the function of holding up thepants of a wearer while equipment is slid on and off the panel 103.Furthermore, because the connection point 104 may be a pivotingconnection, the panel 103 can be pivoted relative to the belt 100 toallow the panel 103 to be oriented a preferred angle relative the waistfor loading and unloading gear from the belt system. The belt systemalso provides for equipment supported by the panel 103 and/or the belt100 to remain on the panel 103 and/or the belt 100 due to the closedloop connection of the panel 103 to the belt 100. In other words, othermechanisms to prevent any equipment from sliding off the belt system 100may not be needed. Additionally, the frictional layer or material 107 isconfigured to hold equipment mounted on the panel 103 and/or the belt100, in particular when the panel 103 is tensioned and attached to thebelt 100 with a closure as discussed herein (e.g., creating a clampingpressure between the panel 103 and the belt 100).

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a belt system according to another example. The beltsystem of FIGS. 5 and 6 may be similar in many respects to the beltsystem of FIGS. 1-4. Accordingly, same parts are denoted with the samereference numbers. The belt system of the FIGS. 5 and 6 includes a belt200 having two layers 201 and 202 that are attached using variousmethods (glue, heat sealed, sewn, etc.) along the length, the top andbottom of the two layers 201 and 202 as illustrated by the dotted line204 shown in FIG. 5. Tubular nylon material can also be used to createan internal cavity (shown for example in FIG. 6 as a gap between thelayers 201 and 202) that runs along the length of the belt 200. Theinternal cavity may have at least one opening 203 (shown in FIGS. 5 and6) on either the outside or inside of the belt. The opening 203 allowsthe wearer of the belt 200 to slide in or slide out (shown by an arrow206) one or more zip ties 205 as shown in FIG. 6. The depth of theinternal cavity can be of any depth or run the entire length of the belt200. The belt 200 may include a low friction material (not shown) insidelayers 201 and 202 and inside of the interior cavity where the layers201 and 202 face each other to reduce the friction and ease insertingand removing of equipment, such as zip-ties 205 as shown in FIG. 6. Thepanel 103 may be attached at connection point 104 on the outer layer 201before the two layers 201 and 202 are joined 204 as shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 shows a typical attachment mechanism 310 for holsters orequipment with closed loops 302. The attachment mechanism 310 may begenerally a curved piece of rigid, semi-rigid, or pliable material suchas plastic with two long holes punched out that form the closed loops302. A belt 312 can be slid through the closed loops 302 as shown inFIG. 10. FIG. 10 also shows the typical attachment mechanism 310attached to a holster 311 with a typical belt 312 running through theclosed loops 302. FIG. 11 also shows the attachment mechanism 310 withbelt 100 running through the closed loops 302. FIG. 11 also shows thatthe loops 302 may be wider than the width of the belt 100, therebycreating the space 304 between the width of the belt 100 and the widthof the closed loops 302 on the attachment mechanism 310. A belt systemaccording to one example may include a slack panel to compensate for thedifference between the width of the closed loops 302 and the width ofthe belt 100. FIG. 12 shows the slack panel 300 attached to the belt 100to fill the space 304 between the belt 100 and the closed loop 302. Adetailed example of the slack panel 300 is shown in FIG. 7. The slackpanel 300 may be rigid or semi-rigid. FIG. 8 shows the slack panel 300being constructed from two layers of fabric 308 with a stiffener 309which can be made of plastic, metal, etc. sandwiched in between thelayers 308. The two layers 308 can be attached by various methods (glue,heat sealed, sewn, etc.). Attachment hardware 301 (e.g. snaps, rivetwith screw and post combination, Velcro®, etc.) may be added to panel300 so that it can be attached to the belt 100 or panel 103 as shown inFIG. 12 and FIG. 14. The slack panel 300 can also be made from a singlelayer of material that is semi-rigid in nature (injected molded plasticor rubber, Velcro One®, leather, a polymer infused nylon, etc.).

FIG. 14 shows an example slack panel 300 used with belt loops 303 onpants 306 with the belt 100 put through the belt loops 303 of the pants306. As shown in FIG. 13, the width of the belt loops 303 of the pants306 and the width of the belt 100 may vary to create a space 305. FIG.14 shows the excess space 305 between the belt 100 and the belt pantloops 303 filled by the slack panel 300 attached to the belt 100.Different pant manufacturers may use different sized belt loops. Holsteror accessory holder manufacturers may also use different sized closedloops. To adjust and/or compensate for the excess space 304 that may becreated between the belt 100 and closed loops 302 from FIGS. 11 and 12or excess space 305 that may be created between the belt 100 and beltloops 303 in FIGS. 13 and 14, the slack panel 300 can secured higher orlower using hardware 301 (Velcro, multiple rows of snaps, etc.) on thebelt 100 and the panel 300. The overall dimensions of the slack panel300 can also vary depending on the size of the closed loop the slackpanel 300 is intended to fill. A large closed loop 302 may require awide slack panel 300. Additionally, attachment mechanisms 310 withclosed loops located further apart from each other may require a slackpanel 300 that can span the distance between the closed loops 302 of theattachment mechanisms 310. Alternatively, the slack panel 300 may extendthe entire length of the belt 100 if multiple attachment mechanisms 310are used on the same belt 100.

A belt system according to one example may include a load carryingassembly having a belt mount 400 and a load or duty panel 500 asdescribed in detail herein. FIG. 15 shows a belt mount 400 configured toattach to a load or duty panel 500 (shown in FIG. 23). The belt mount400 allows the load or duty panel 500 to be connected to or hooked ontoany type of belt or off the shelf belt, an example of which is shown asthe belt 411 in FIG. 22. Alternatively, the belt mount 400 allows theload panel 500 to be connected or hooked between the panel 103 and thebelt 100 at the connection point 104 as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20.According, a user can connect or hook the belt mount 400 at any positionalong the user's waist and pants by rotating the belt 100 around thewaist, and therefore rotating the position of connection point 104around the waist, so that the belt mount 400 can be anchored anywhereregardless of whether or not there is a pant belt loop 410. Differentpant manufacturers may space their belt loops at different locationsaround the waist of the pants. However, shooters, hunters and craftsmentypically wear their equipment in the same place for easy location andrapid access. The belt mount 400 allows such equipment to be mounted atthe same location around the waist regardless of the location of thepant belt loops. For example, a pant manufacturer may only place beltpant loops 410, on the waist of the pants at the wearer's 2 o'clock, 6o'clock, and 10 o'clock positions (the center front of the user beingthe 12 o'clock position) as shown in FIG. 26. But, the wearer may wearthe duty panel 500 between the 4 o'clock to 10 o'clock position, asshown in FIG. 26. However, the noted pants does not have pant belt loop410 located at the 4 o'clock position as shown in FIG. 26. That wouldmean the user would place the connection point 104 of belt 100 at the 4o'clock position so that the belt mount 400 can be anchored at thatlocation. If the user wants to anchor the duty panel 500 at 8 o'clock,the user could also do so by rotating belt 100 clockwise around thewaist so that connection point 104 is at the 8 o'clock position. Thebelt mount 400 may be semi-rigid and can be made of metal, plastic, orcomposite. The belt mount can be one single piece as shown in FIG. 18 ormade of multiple pieces as shown in FIG. 16. For example, one wall 408(also referred to herein as the back wall 408) and the opposite wall 409(also referred to herein as the front wall 409) may be joined on oneside using hardware 402 and 403 (e.g. rivets, screws and posts, clamps,etc.) to create the belt mount 400. The belt mount 400 may be configuredto be inserted from one side onto a belt 411 as shown in FIG. 22 or ontoa panel 103 as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. The belt mount 400 includes atleast one closed end 404 as shown in FIG. 18. The belt mount 400 mayalso include at least one hook 405 on the back wall 408 as shown in FIG.16. Referring to FIG. 19, when the back wall 408 of the belt mount 400is being pulled (the direction of force is shown a direction arrow 412)toward the direction of the point where the panel 103 joins with thebody of the belt 100 at connection point 104, the hook 405 of the backwall 408 is positioned below and past the connection point 104, whichprevents the back wall 408 from rising upward. Therefore the entire beltmount 400 is prevented from rising up and off the belt 100. In FIG. 20,the back wall 408 of the belt mount 400 is sandwiched between the panel103 and the belt 100 with the belt mount hook 405 sitting over theconnection points 104. Because the top of the back wall 408 is joinedwith the front wall 409 at the top 404, downward pressure on the beltmount 400 may be significantly and completely prevented by the belt 100.Accordingly, the belt 100 is trapped between the belt mount closure 404and the hook 405. The belt mount 400 can also use pant belt loops 410 onany belt as shown in FIG. 22, because the pants belt loop 410 replacesthe connection point 104 between the panel 103 and belt 100. As shown inFIG. 22, when the belt mount 400 is under tension as shown by the arrow412, the back wall 408 pushes against the pants belt loops 410, with thehook 405 extended beyond the pants belt loops 410. As discussed herein,the pushing of the back wall 408 against the pants belt loops 410 stopsthe hook 405 from rising up. The belt mount 400 can have at least onetab 406 on the back wall 408 and one tab 406 on the front wall 409 asshown in FIG. 16. The tabs 406 on front wall 409 and back wall 408 areinclined toward the opposite wall so that they meet in the center 407when both the front wall 409 and back wall 408 are parallel as shown inFIGS. 17 and 18. The load or duty panel 500 can be attached to the beltmount 400 on the front wall 409 as shown in FIG. 21. When load or dutypanel 500 is tightened and tension 412 is placed on the front wall 409of the belt mount 400, the force is transferred to the back wall 408through the tabs 406 at the bottom and at the top closure 404 where thetwo walls are joined as shown in FIG. 21. The noted joining of the walls408 and 409 spreads the force of the tension across the top and bottom,front wall 409 and back walls 408 of the belt mount 400 so that no onepoint or area is taking the entire load.

The belt system may include a load or duty panel 500 as shown in theexample of FIG. 23. The load or duty panel 500 may be attached to thebelt 100 as described herein. The load or duty panel 500 includes apanel 506 which operates in the same manner as the panel 103 on theglide belt 100 as described in detail herein. The panel 506 allows gearusing closed loops (e.g., typical attachment mechanism 310 for holstersor equipment with closed loops 302 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10) to slideon and off, with hardware 505 (e.g. snaps, buckled, Velcro®, etc.)attached to panel 506 through various methods (glue, sewn, heat bonded,stamped, etc.) connecting to matching hardware 505 which is joined tothe wall of the load bearing panel 500 through various methods, so thatgear does not slide off. The load or duty panel 500 can have quickdetach hardware 501 that allows the load or duty panel 500 to beseparated into at least two pieces 502 and 503 as shown in FIG. 24 andFIG. 25 respectively. The load or duty panel 500 may also have a beltmount 400 as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, on at least one end withadditional hardware 504 (such as a closed loop, D-ring, J-hook, etc.)that allows the load or duty panel 500 to slide onto the panel 103 ofthe belt 100 as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27. FIG. 27 shows a close up ofhardware 504 sliding onto the panel 103 of the belt 100 from FIG. 26. Anadditional tab 507 made of friction material (such as SlipNot®, Velcro®,etc.) can be sewn on or added to the hardware 504. For example, if thefriction material is Velcro®, the tab 507 would match the Velcro® on theinside liner of the panel 103, and possibly also the outer layer of belt100 to help hold the hardware 504 in place. The hardware 504 is shown inFIG. 27 as an example to be a closed ring. However, the hardware 504 canalso be a cam-lock, hooks, or any other hardware.

As discussed herein, belt mount 400 can be used on both ends of the loadpanel 500. If hardware 504 is replaced with belt mount 400 as shown inFIG. 28, the hardware 504 allows the panel to be attached to any belt.FIGS. 29 and 30 show another example of a belt mount 400, which issimilar in many respects to the other belt mounts described herein. Thebelt mount 400 can have an additional piece 513 that is configured toattach to hardware 504 on the load panel 500 as shown in FIG. 31. FIGS.29, 30, and 31 show a clip 513, but the hardware 513 can be anythingfrom spring loaded key mods, buckles, screws and post, etc. made of anymaterial as long as it secures the belt mount 400 to the hardware 504.The hardware 513 can also be movable and detachable along at least onesurface of the belt mount 500 using mounting hardware 514 (such asscrews, snaps, etc.) as shown in FIG. 29. The load bearing panel 500 mayalso include a semi-rigid body 508 which will be referenced as the hump508 as shown in FIGS. 32,33, and 34. The hump 508 can be made of anymaterial such as plastic, metal, foam, etc. In FIGS. 32-34 the hump 508is shown sewn to the body of panel 500 so that the hump 508 falls belowthe panel 506. However, the hump 508 can be sewn or attached (e.g. glue,heat sealed, stamped, etc.) above as well or both to panel 500. Thepurpose of the hump 508 is to fill the space between the body of thewearer 510, and any gear 509 that may be attached to the panel 506 asshown in FIG. 34. The hump 508 can stop the attached gear 509 frompivoting toward and away from the body 510 during use or movement. Thehump 508 can have any dimension. The load panel 500 and attached panel503 may be semi rigid and can be made of fabric infused with a polymer,metal, or made completely of plastic, metal, or a composite of differentmaterials. The semi rigid nature of the panel 503 provides additionalstability of any gear attached during movement when bent around thecurve hip of a human wearer.

The belt system according to one example may include an attachable addon panel 600 as shown in FIG. 34. The add on panel 600 can slide ontothe panel 506 of the load panel 500, using attachment hardware 606 (e.g.metal rings, j-hooks, snaps, etc.) that may be sewn onto the panel 600so that it can be attached to panel 506 as shown in FIG. 36. Anattachment mechanism such as Velcro® 607 that may be sewn on or glued,can also be used as attachment hardware, and the matching Velcro®, sewnor glued, on the opposite surface of the load bearing panel 500 and theinner surface of the panel 506 as shown in FIG. 35. The add on panel 600can have attachment hardware 601 on the panel to add gear, such asrivets, buttons, hooks, straps, etc. as shown in FIG. 34 or multiplerows of attachment hardware 601 if the add on panel 600 is larger asshown in FIG. 38. Additional panels 602, similar to panels 103 and 506,can also be added to panel 600 as shown in FIG. 38. Attachment hardware601 can also be added to the additional panels 602. In FIG. 38, theadditional panels 602 can be added with one connected on a pivot 608using hardware (such as a rivet, screw and post combination, snap, etc.)and a detachable hardware 609 (such as a screw and post combination,snap, etc.), similar to the panel 103 in FIG. 3. Additional rivets 610can be added above and below the original rivet 609 so that one side ofthe panel 602 can be attached higher or lower relative to the pivot 608,similar to the panel 111 in FIG. 3. The noted pivotal attachment cancreate an incline or decline in angle of the panel 602 relative to thewaist of the user as seen in FIG. 39, where the panels 602 are attachedon lower hardware 610. The increased incline or decline give users abetter angle to access gear mounted on the panels 602 on add on panel600 as shown in FIG. 40 and FIG. 41.

The belt system may include a weapon support panel 700 as shown in FIG.42, which is similar in many respect to the support panel 600. FIG. 42shows the front of the weapon support panel 700. Similar to the otherpanel 600, the weapon support panel 700 may be semi rigid and can bemade of any material or a combination of materials to reach a preferredsemi-rigid nature and construction similar to the belt 100, panel 103,panels 400, 500, and 600. The weapon support panel 700 may includehardware 701 (e.g. rings, hooks, snaps, Velcro®, etc.) that allows theweapon support panel 700 to be attached to the panel 103 or the belt100. The panel can be made of either plastic, polymer, metal, fabric, ora composite of material. The dimension of the weapon support panel 700can vary depending on how low the holster is to be mounted, the size ofthe holster, and an y other gear the user made need mounted on the belt100.

As shown in FIGS. 42-44, The weapon support panel 700 may also includeone or more panels 703, similar to the panels 602 as shown on FIGS. 38and 39. The panel 703 allows a holster 702, shown in FIGS. 42 and 43, tobe mounted on the panel 703 lower on the body, instead of at the waistor the belt where the holster may be less ergonomic to draw a weapon,thereby forcing the wearer to twist their torso and raise their shoulderwhen drawing their weapon. The panel 703 in FIGS. 42 and 43 can also beattached to the weapon support panel 700 using pivot hardware 704 (e.g.rivet, screw and post, sewn, etc.) on one end and detachable hardware705 (e.g. snaps, hooks, screw and post combination, Velcro®, etc.) onthe opposite end. Accordingly, gear can slide on and off the panel 703,but the gear can be stopped from sliding off when the hardware 705 isreattached. Additional hardware 706 (e.g. rivets, snaps, etc.) can beaffixed to the weapon support panel 700 above and below the originalhardware 705. By mounting the original hardware 705 higher or lowerrelative to the hardware 706, the angle of panel 703 can be changedrelative to the pivot hardware 704 and the waist of the user. Similar tothe panel 600 of FIGS. 40 and 41, the further back equipment is placedon the panel 703, the greater the incline is preferable so that theopening of pouches is facing toward the front of the wearer. In the caseof the weapon support panel 700, the further back the holster is mountedon the panel 703, and therefore the further to rear of the user's body,the greater the incline of the holster may be for easier draw and returnof a weapon. The panel 703 can also be made of two or more pieces withhardware 708 (e.g. snaps, sliders, buckles, etc.) attached (e.g. sewn,glued, riveted, etc.) to allow the overall length of panel 703 to beshortened or lengthened to add or reduce slack. A cover 709 as shown inFIG. 44 can also be added to the surface of panel 700 to protect theholster and other items from getting snagged or damaged. The cover 709can be made of any material or composite materials. It can be attachedby various methods (e.g. sewn, rivets, screws and posts, etc.) along atleast two sides. As shown in FIG. 44, the cover 709 is sewn along threesides as the stitching 710 are indicated by dotted lines.

A belt system according to one example may include a pocket 800 that canhold a razor blade 805 as shown in FIG. 46. The pocket may be attachedto the belt 100. The pocket 800 may be attached (sewn, glued, etc.) at806 onto either the inner layer 201 or outer 202 layer of the belt 200.The pocket 800 may be attached prior to the two layers 201 and 202 beingattached together as shown in FIG. 45. FIG. 46 shows the pocket attachedto a either the layer 201 or the layer 202 of the belt. At least onepocket 800 can be located on either the inner layer 202 or the outerlayer 201 of the belt 200. The pocket 800 can be located anywhere alongthe length of the belt 100 or 200, such as near the back 802 of thewearer and/or near the sides or front 803 of the belt. The belt systemcan also include multiple pockets 800 along the length of the belt 100or 200. The pocket 800 may have a separate protective liner 804 made ofany appropriate material (Kevlar®, plastic, metal, composite, etc.) orthe pocket 800 may be made of a composite material (nylon/Kevlar weave,etc.) made to protect the wearer from the sharp edge of the blade 805.Another protective liner 804 can also be attached to the layer of thebelt that the pocket 800 is being attached to. The additional protectiveliner 804 can protect the belt 100 from the edge of the blade 805 whenit is placed inside, taken out, or during dynamic movements. The pocket800 may be at least 2 inch by 1 inch to accommodate a razor blade 805 asseen in FIG. 46, but can be larger for larger blades.

The use of the word “pant” or “pants” herein refers to any garment thatcan be worn by an individual that covers at least a portion of the bodyof the individual below the waist, such as pants, shorts, overalls,pants with suspenders and/or bibs, skirts, or any similar garments. Anyof the belts or belt systems described herein may be used on non-garmentobjects such as backpacks, suitcases, duffle bags, and/or any otherobject that may be used by an individual to hold or carry equipment.

The terms “and” and “or” may have both conjunctive and disjunctivemeanings. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless thisdisclosure indicates otherwise. The term “coupled” and any variationthereof refer to directly or indirectly connecting two or more elementschemically, mechanically, and/or otherwise. The phrase “removablyconnected” is defined such that two elements that are “removablyconnected” may be separated from each other without breaking ordestroying the utility of either element.

The term “substantially” when used to describe a characteristic,parameter, property, or value of an element may represent deviations orvariations that do not diminish the characteristic, parameter, property,or value that the element may be intended to provide. Deviations orvariations in a characteristic, parameter, property, or value of anelement may be based on, for example, tolerances, measurement errors,measurement accuracy limitations and other factors. The term “proximate”is synonymous with terms such as “adjacent,” “close,” “immediate,”“nearby”, “neighboring”, etc., and such terms may be usedinterchangeably as appearing in this disclosure.

The apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein maybe implemented in a variety of embodiments, and the foregoingdescription of some of these embodiments does not necessarily representa complete description of all possible embodiments. Instead, thedescription of the drawings, and the drawings themselves, disclose atleast one embodiment, and may disclosure alternative embodiments.

Although certain example apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacturehave been described herein, the scope of coverage of this disclosure isnot limited thereto. On the contrary, this disclosure covers allapparatus, methods, and articles of articles of manufacture fairlyfalling within the scope of the appended claims either literally orunder the doctrine of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A belt system comprising: a belt having an innerside, an outer side, a first end and a second end; a belt panel having afirst end and a second end, the first end of the belt panel beingconnected to the outer side of the belt between the first end of thebelt and the second end of the belt, the second end of the belt panelhaving a closure configured to detachably connect the second end of thebelt panel to the belt between the first end of the belt panel and thefirst end of the belt; and wherein at least a portion of the belt facingan inner side of the belt panel or a portion of an inner side of thebelt panel facing the belt includes a material configured to increasefriction between the belt and the inner side of the belt panel.
 2. Abelt system as defined in 1 further comprising an equipment attachmentmechanism having attachment loops and a slack panel, wherein theequipment attachment mechanism is configured to receive a portion of thebelt panel and a portion of the slack panel through the attachmentloops, wherein when the belt panel and the slack panel are received inthe attachment loops, the belt panel is between between the equipmentattachment mechanism and the slack panel.
 3. A belt system as defined in1 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising: a load panelhaving a first end and a second end, the first end of the load panelhaving a closure configured to adjustably attach to the belt panel alonga length of the belt panel, and the second end of the load panel havinga closure; a belt mount having a first end and a second end, the firstend of the belt mount configured to slidably mount on the belt panel,and the second end of the belt mount having a closure; and wherein theclosure at the second end of the load panel and the closure at thesecond end of the belt mount are configured to connect to attach theload carrying assembly to the belt or the belt panel.
 4. A belt systemas defined in 1 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:a load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of theload panel having a closure configured to adjustably attach to the beltpanel along a length of the belt panel, and the second end of the loadpanel having a closure, a lower portion of the load panel including athicker portion configured to substantially fill the space between loadsmounted on the load panel and a wearer of the belt; a belt mount havinga first end and a second end, the first end of the belt mount configuredto slidably mount on the belt panel, and the second end of the beltmount having a closure; and wherein the closure at the second end of theload panel and the closure at the second end of the belt mount areconfigured to connect to attach the load carrying assembly to the beltor the belt panel.
 5. A belt system as defined in 1 further comprising aload panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of theload panel having a first closure configured to attach the first end ofthe load panel to the belt, the second end of the load panel having asecond closure configured to attach the second end of the load panel orthe belt.
 6. A belt system as defined in 1 further comprising a loadcarrying assembly comprising: a first load panel having a first end anda second end, the first end of the first load panel having a closureconfigured to adjustably attach to the belt panel along a length of thebelt panel, and the second end of the first load panel having a closure;a belt mount having a first end and a second end, the first end of thebelt mount configured to slidably mount on the belt panel, and thesecond end of the belt mount having a closure; a second load panelhaving a first end and a second end, the first end of the second loadpanel having a first closure configured to attach the first end of thesecond load panel to the first load panel, and the second end of thesecond load panel having a second closure configured to attach thesecond end of the second load panel or the first load panel; and whereinthe closure at the second end of the first load panel and the closure atthe second end of the belt mount are configured to connect to attach theload carrying assembly to the belt or the belt panel.
 7. A belt systemas defined in 1 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:a first load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end ofthe first load panel having a closure configured to adjustably attach tothe belt panel along a length of the belt panel, and the second end ofthe first load panel having a closure; a belt mount having a first endand a second end, the first end of the belt mount configured to slidablymount on the belt panel, and the second end of the belt mount having aclosure; a second load panel having a first end and a second end, thefirst end of the second load panel having a first closure configured toattach the first end of the second load panel to the first load panel,and the second end of the second load panel having a second closureconfigured to attach the second end of the second load panel or thefirst load panel, the second load panel comprising a plurality ofattachment points configured to receive equipment; and wherein theclosure at the second end of the first load panel and the closure at thesecond end of the belt mount are configured to connect to attach theload carrying assembly to the belt or the belt panel.
 8. A belt systemcomprising: a belt having a first end, a second end, an inner beltportion and an outer belt portion, the outer belt portion being spacedapart from the inner belt portion to define a gap between the inner beltportion and the outer belt portion; and a belt panel having a first endand a second end, the first end of the belt panel being connected to anouter side of the outer belt portion of the belt between the first endof the belt and the second end of the belt, the second end of the beltpanel having a closure configured to detachably connect the second endof the belt panel to the belt between the first end of the belt paneland the first end of the belt.
 9. A belt system as defined in 8, whereinat least a portion of the belt facing an inner side of the belt panel ora portion of an inner side of the belt panel facing the belt includes amaterial configured to increase friction between the the belt and theinner side of the belt panel.
 10. A belt system as defined in 8 furthercomprising a load carrying assembly comprising: a load panel having afirst end and a second end, the first end of the load panel having aclosure configured to adjustably attach to the belt panel along a lengthof the belt panel, and the second end of the load panel having aclosure; a belt mount having a first end and a second end, the first endof the belt mount configured to slidably mount on the belt panel, andthe second end of the belt mount having a closure; and wherein theclosure at the second end of the load panel and the closure at thesecond end of the belt mount are configured to connect to attach theload carrying assembly to the belt or the belt panel.
 11. A belt systemas defined in 8 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:a load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of theload panel having a closure configured to adjustably attach to the beltpanel along a length of the belt panel, and the second end of the loadpanel having a closure, a lower portion of the load panel including athicker portion configured to substantially fill the space between loadsmounted on the load panel and a wearer of the belt; a belt mount havinga first end and a second end, the first end of the belt mount configuredto slidably mount on the belt panel, and the second end of the beltmount having a closure; and wherein the closure at the second end of theload panel and the closure at the second end of the belt mount areconfigured to connect to attach the load carrying assembly to the beltor the belt panel.
 12. A belt system as defined in 8 further comprisinga load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of theload panel having a first closure configured to attach the first end ofthe load panel to the belt, the second end of the load panel having asecond closure configured to attach the second end of the load panel orthe belt.
 13. A belt system as defined in 8 further comprising a loadcarrying assembly comprising: a first load panel having a first end anda second end, the first end of the first load panel having a closureconfigured to adjustably attach to the belt panel along a length of thebelt panel, and the second end of the first load panel having a closure;a belt mount having a first end and a second end, the first end of thebelt mount configured to slidably mount on the belt panel, and thesecond end of the belt mount having a closure; a second load panelhaving a first end and a second end, the first end of the second loadpanel having a first closure configured to attach the first end of thesecond load panel to the first load panel, and the second end of thesecond load panel having a second closure configured to attach thesecond end of the second load panel or the first load panel; and whereinthe closure at the second end of the first load panel and the closure atthe second end of the belt mount are configured to connect to attach theload carrying assembly to the belt or the belt panel.
 14. A belt systemas defined in 8 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:a first load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end ofthe first load panel having a closure configured to adjustably attach tothe belt panel along a length of the belt panel, and the second end ofthe first load panel having a closure; a belt mount having a first endand a second end, the first end of the belt mount configured to slidablymount on the belt panel, and the second end of the belt mount having aclosure; a second load panel having a first end and a second end, thefirst end of the second load panel having a first closure configured toattach the first end of the second load panel to the first load panel,and the second end of the second load panel having a second closureconfigured to attach the second end of the second load panel or thefirst load panel, the second load panel comprising a plurality ofattachment points configured to receive equipment; and wherein theclosure at the second end of the first load panel and the closure at thesecond end of the belt mount are configured to connect to attach theload carrying assembly to the belt or the belt panel.
 15. A belt systemfor use with pants having pant loops, the belt system comprising: a belthaving an inner side, an outer side, a first end and a second end, thebelt configured to be inserted between the belt loops and the pants; abelt panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of thebelt panel being pivotally connected to the outer side of the beltbetween the first end of the belt and the second end of the belt, thesecond end of the belt panel having a closure configured to detachablyconnect the second end of the belt panel to the belt between the firstend of the belt panel and the first end of the belt; and wherein thebelt panel is movable between a first position and a second position,wherein in the first position, the second end of the belt panel isdetachably connected to the belt and the belt loops are between theinner side of the belt panel and the outer side of the belt, and whereinin the second position, the second end of the belt panel is detachedfrom the belt and the belt panel is pivotable about the belt at thefirst end of the belt panel.
 16. A belt system as defined in 15 whereinat least a portion of the belt facing an inner side of the belt panel ora portion of an inner side of the belt panel facing the belt includes amaterial configured to increase friction between the the belt and theinner side of the belt panel.
 17. A belt system as defined in 15 furthercomprising a load carrying assembly comprising: a load panel having afirst end and a second end, the first end of the load panel having aclosure configured to adjustably attach to the belt panel along a lengthof the belt panel, and the second end of the load panel having aclosure; a belt mount having a first end and a second end, the first endof the belt mount configured to slidably mount on the belt panel, andthe second end of the belt mount having a closure; and wherein theclosure at the second end of the load panel and the closure at thesecond end of the belt mount are configured to connect to attach theload carrying assembly to the belt or the belt panel.
 18. A belt systemas defined in 15 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:a load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of theload panel having a closure configured to adjustably attach to the beltpanel along a length of the belt panel, and the second end of the loadpanel having a closure, a lower portion of the load panel including athicker portion configured to substantially fill the space between loadsmounted on the load panel and a wearer of the belt; a belt mount havinga first end and a second end, the first end of the belt mount configuredto slidably mount on the belt panel, and the second end of the beltmount having a closure; and wherein the closure at the second end of theload panel and the closure at the second end of the belt mount areconfigured to connect to attach the load carrying assembly to the beltor the belt panel.
 19. A belt system as defined in 15 further comprisinga load carrying assembly comprising: a first load panel having a firstend and a second end, the first end of the first load panel having aclosure configured to adjustably attach to the belt panel along a lengthof the belt panel, and the second end of the first load panel having aclosure; a belt mount having a first end and a second end, the first endof the belt mount configured to slidably mount on the belt panel, andthe second end of the belt mount having a closure; a second load panelhaving a first end and a second end, the first end of the second loadpanel having a first closure configured to attach the first end of thesecond load panel to the first load panel, and the second end of thesecond load panel having a second closure configured to attach thesecond end of the second load panel or the first load panel; and whereinthe closure at the second end of the first load panel and the closure atthe second end of the belt mount are configured to connect to attach theload carrying assembly to the belt or the belt panel.
 20. A belt systemas defined in 15 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:a first load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end ofthe first load panel having a closure configured to adjustably attach tothe belt panel along a length of the belt panel, and the second end ofthe first load panel having a closure; a belt mount having a first endand a second end, the first end of the belt mount configured to slidablymount on the belt panel, and the second end of the belt mount having aclosure; a second load panel having a first end and a second end, thefirst end of the second load panel having a first closure configured toattach the first end of the second load panel to the first load panel,and the second end of the second load panel having a second closureconfigured to attach the second end of the second load panel or thefirst load panel, the second load panel comprising a plurality ofattachment points configured to receive equipment; and wherein theclosure at the second end of the first load panel and the closure at thesecond end of the belt mount are configured to connect to attach theload carrying assembly to the belt or the belt panel.